Mississippi Dam to Undergo Controlled Breach

Wall Street Journal ^ | 30 August 2012 | Betsy McKay, Mike Esterl

[verum ago]

Officials are executing a controlled breach of a dam in Mississippi this afternoon to prevent it from failing, and local authorities in Louisiana have ordered the mandatory evacuation of as many as 60,000 people downriver as a precaution against potential flooding.

[verum ago]

A little bit of hope. The dam was supposed to be renovated next week, or so I hear.

[verum ago]

Dunno how I forgot. Thanks for the correction.

[Bulwinkle]

hmm... my firt thought was of the ‘controlled burns’ that caused the massive wildfires out west

[kingu]

I really wish the National Hurricane Center would stop quoting 'category' vectors for hurricanes, and instead adopt a more useful danger level system. This was a category 1 hurricane - no big deal to a whole lot of people who have rode out such things. But here you had a very slow moving system, with a massive wind field, and loads of potential for soaking rain.

Rain measured in feet, storm surge of up to 10 feet, and constant hurricane force winds. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and to the NHC's credit, they mentioned it in every single update - at the bottom, well after most people stopped reading.

[ClearCase_guy]

The Obama Administration was looking for someone who was willing to dynamite that dam. They asked this guy, but he waved them off - "Not me! You guys can handle it."

[blueunicorn6]

Where’s President Canute?

[stephenjohnbanker]

” hmm... my firt thought was of the ‘controlled burns’ that caused the massive wildfires out west”

First thought

Second thought

ALL thought

[verum ago]

Probably blasting sand out of a greenside bunker with his sand wedge; Baghdad Bob will later claim he was helping fill sandbags.

[uncommonsense]

"But here you had a very slow moving system, with a massive wind field, and loads of potential for soaking rain."

I agree, wind speed is a big issue, but it isn't what kills most people. I've been in Boynton Beach FL taking care of my mother's affairs. Isaac sat over us for 3+ days dumping over 20" of rain. It was the slowest, largest pattern of storms I think I've ever seen (and I rode out Katrina / Rita in Baton Rouge).

I told my old friends back in BR to pay attention to the westward drift and the east side bands of torrential rains. That would be the most dangerous - from first hand experience over 3 days. My mother's place has great drainage and it couldn't keep up for the 1st time.

[cripplecreek]

The dam was supposed to be renovated next week, or so I hear.

Sounds like a great place to put a generator if there isn't one already.

[thackney]

It was the slowest, largest pattern of storms I think I've ever seen

Tropical Storm (not even a Hurricane) Allison - Houston, Texas
2001

After making landfall near Galveston, Texas, on June 5, the storm moved inland to near Lufkin, Texas. Allison drifted back into the Gulf of Mexico on June 9, turned to the northeast, and made landfall again on June 10 near Morgan City, Louisiana. After causing 24 deaths in Texas and Louisiana, Allison moved across southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, southwest Georgia, and northern Florida, causing 9 more deaths. By mid-week, Allison stalled over North Carolina and produced more heavy rainfall and flooding before tracking northeast along the DelMarVa Peninsula and moving off the New England coast on June 18. Seven additional deaths occurred in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia.

Tropical Storm Allison caused more damage than any tropical storm in U.S. history, with estimates in excess of $5 billion. Most of the damage and fatalities (22) occurred in Houston, Texas. Storm rainfall totals peaked at 36.99 inches (Port of Houston) in Texas and 29.86 inches (Thibodaux) in Louisiana.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/assessments/pdfs/allison.pdf

[PLMerite]

[TigersEye]

Rambama set the charges himself. “Demolitions” is his middle name. Among many. Barry “Demolitions” Soetoro. In the world of spies and counter-spies he’s known as The Dog Eater!

[cincinnati65]

My understanding is that there was to be a controlled release to drain the lake for repairs this winter.

[cincinnati65]

My understanding is that there was to be a controlled release to drain the lake for repairs this winter.

[Grams A]

One of our local stations always brings now retired Neil Frank in to report on any hurricanes. His rule of thumb: Divide 100 by the speed of the storm and you will get the approximate number of inches of rain you should expect in an hour. They should kick all those people at the Weather Channel off the air and just let him do the broadcasts. He has never had any interest in being the drama king/queen and just reports all the facts.

So Isaac moving at 6 mph could be expected to produce around 17 inches of rain per hour.

[Grams A]

Ah yes Allison. Didn’t think it would ever quit raining. Problem was all of the rain that fell inside the 610 Loop which acted as a huge bowl. After the water subsided, they found 18 wheelers stacked two deep on the freeway on the east side of the city. Everyone knew there were vehicles under the water but no idea how many because everything was submerged.

Water running through our back yard to the street was strong enough to dislodge and move heavy railroad ties used to outline the flower beds down to the street like they were just kindling sticks.

[thackney]

bad memories.

We too began to wonder if the rain would ever quit before everything went under.

The elevator death was hard to imagine.

[Grams A]

The elevator death was hard to imagine.”

Forgot all about that. What a horrible way to die.

[uncommonsense]

Yep, those kind of slow moving, heavy rainfall storms are really damaging. I haven't seen the officials rainfall numbers for Boynton yet, but I'll bet we're very close to 30", if not more. The wind was no biggie for us, but the torrential rains just kept going, and going, and going...

At one point I was talking to my friend in Baton Rouge while the rains were just starting there. Boynton was getting rain from the same system - that's a 1,200 mile wide system (just drove it - a crow may do slightly better, but it's a mostly straight shot). Isaac just sat on us for 3 days dumping buckets of rain.